Date of show: September 8, 2012
When we had first seen folk rock trio Trevor James & The Perfect Gentlemen, it was back in 2010 and the band was still based out of Ottawa. The band has since relocated to Toronto and Trevor James has gotten a haircut. James fronts this band alongside his best friend Tyson Hiseler on bass, which makes for a great dynamic on stage.
The band had a few Wednesday night residency shows at The Garrison before throwing a party on a Saturday night instead. Every show was free and was sponsored in part by Jameson, which meant free shots of Jameson! There were even prizes. I really wish I had gotten a chance to check out some of the other residency shows. I would’ve bought the band shots, but I suppose we’re not really buying shots when the whiskey is free.
The band started off to a good crowd, but the crowd dwindled as the night went on, as the band started late and played close to last call. Despite the lateness of the set, there is a quality to James’ voice that is so captivating, with great harmonies from Hiseler. “All These Years in Hell” was a particular highlight to the set, but the most humourous moment was when the drum kit basically fell apart. James was able to play some songs solo while the rest of the band tried to regroup.
If you’re unfamiliar with the band, you can stream/download the band’s Community EP from 2010 and their self-titled album from 2008 on their Bandcamp. Give them a listen and James is sure to lure you into being a fan with his incredible voice.
It was a bit of a happy coincidence when I realized the only night I was available to see Trevor James & The Perfect Gentlemen happened to be the night the Taylor Knox Band was supporting them. After seeing the Taylor Knox Band play two residency shows, we have been quite interested in seeing the band more. With harmonies from Spencer Cole (drums) and Aaron Harvey (bass) accompanying Knox, the vocals are quite compelling. The band puts on a great, tight performance and I suspect Toronto will soon catch on to how great this band is live.
Knox revealed that the Taylor Knox Band will be releasing a 7” soon, which we’re really looking forward to.
William Matthew Miller, who goes by William Delray on stage, kicked off the night. I do believe he was added to the bill last minute, so it was a bit of a surprise. However, it was nice to hear him play his charming, short tunes again. As Miller says, “They’re short, but I’ve got a lot of them.” Though the crowd was still sparse at the time, he brought a light-heartedness to start off the night.
buying shots for bands 
Leave a Reply